Tuesday, February 19, 2013

President Obama on Sequestration Cuts

Republicans continue to put big donors over our economy, national security, and America

This morning President Obama had a few words to say to Members of Congress who are on a week's recess with Sequestration looming that would give us draconian cuts to Government. In all fairness, let me say that every last Democrat in the House voted to not go on recess in the House in order to keep working to find a solution. Democrats, as usual, were ignored by Speaker Boehner as they went on vacation (recess) for 10 days after only working 16 days. Bet a lot of people would like that schedule. What would your boss say if you were facing a deadline for a major project and said "sorry, have to take next week off" - bet your boss would not be happy.

Congress is supposed to work for the American people -- to say we are not happy with Democrat Majority Leader Reid for caving to McConnell on filibuster reform or Republicans in the House and Senate is an understatement. Boehner/McConnell can cut the crap blaming Obama for Sequestration cuts because we know who is to blame - GOP Obstructionists in the Congress who put the wealthy over what is best for the majority of the Country. Their refusal to close loopholes to raise revenue wealthy individuals/big corporations, preferring to put it on the backs of the middle class, shows a total disregard for 99% of their constituents. Republicans would prefer Sequestration go into effect rather then close a single loophole for the wealthy individuals and big corporations.

This article from Michael Tomasky at The Daily Beast nails why the Republicans are going to be blamed not the President. Democrat Senators have come up with a plan to void Sequestration but last word was the Congressional GOP won't even consider their ideas. Republicans treat House Democrats like scum as if they didn't exist. Cannot wait for the Republicans to lose control of the House in spite of their gerrymandering to keep their seats. Republicans have the most worthless leadership in the House and Senate I have ever witnessed. The GOP Senators are not far behind and in fact are catching up after their antics against Chuck Hagel recently and on Benghazi.

Conservatives keep reminding everyone that the sequester was Obama’s idea. But, says Michael Tomasky, that doesn’t mean he’s to blame for the current crisis.

Whose “idea” was the sequester, and why should it matter? My Twitter feed these last couple of weeks has been overflowing with people going beyond the usual “communist” and “idiot” name-calling that I get every day and throwing the occasional “liar” in there because I “withhold” the information that the sequester was the Obama administration’s idea. Very well, consider that nugget hereby unwithheld. Let’s grant that this is true. But it’s true only because the Republicans were holding a gun to the administration’s head—and besides, the Republicans immediately voted for it. In any case the important thing now is that outside of Fox News land, it’s an unimportant fact whose “idea” it was. The Republicans are partial owners of this idea, and as the party that now wants the cuts to kick in, they deserve to—and will—bear more responsibility for the negative impacts.

(snip)

All this time, and right on up to August 1, Republicans were screaming for deep budget cuts, and the administration was saying no. But the Republicans had the leverage because it actually seemed plausible they were crazy enough to push the country into default. And so at that point, at least according to Bob Woodward in his new book, Jack Lew, then the budget director and now Obama’s nominee for Treasury secretary, originally came up with the notion of sequestered cuts. Or maybe it was Gene Sperling. The White House’s idea was based on language from the 1985 Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit-reduction act. It was also the White House’s notion that if the “trigger” was hit, what would kick in would be not only automatic budget cuts but also automatic revenue increases (an idea Republicans refused to go along with).

So fine, the White House proposed it. It did so only after months of Republicans publicly demanding huge spending cuts and refusing to consider any revenues and acting as if they were prepared to send the nation into default over spending. In other words, this was the administration’s idea in much the way that it’s a parent’s “idea” to pay ransom to a person who has taken his child hostage. There was a gun to the White House’s head, which was the possibility of the country going into default.

Even if administration officials proposed it, it would have remained just a proposal if those 218 Republicans hadn’t supported it.

And then, when it was all put into legislation, it was the Republicans who passed the Budget Control Act of 2011 in the House, with 218 of them voting yes. So even if administration officials proposed it, it would have remained just a proposal if those 218 Republicans hadn’t supported it (no House Democrats backed it). Most Republicans agreed at the time that the sequestration trigger was a good thing—that it would force everyone to get together and agree to a path forward and a long-term budget deal.

(snip)

The Republicans’ ace card is that they know, or they hope they know, they are not equally affected. Austere cuts will harm the economy, and the blame will fall on the president.

Normally yes. But the majority of the people are onto them. And it sure isn’t going to be looking very responsible to people, as the March 1 sequestration deadline approaches, for Republicans to be going before the cameras and saying that the cuts are unfortunate but necessary medicine, or whatever formulation they come up with. They’ve wanted these spending reductions for two years. It hardly matters much who invented the mechanism for the cuts. What matters, as the Republicans will find out, is that the people don’t want them.

Republicans in Congress are going to take the full brunt of anger if they allow Sequestration to go through which will tank our economy and hurt the middle class in order to protect their wealthy donors by not closing loopholes for the wealthy and big corporations. This bunch of Republican obstructionists don't work for the American people but work for special interest starting with wealthy donors like Koch Brothers who want to do away with EPA, Lynde and Harry Bradly Foundation out of Milwaukee, and the Foundations of the Scaife Family for starters. When you add Defense giants like Lockheed, a few major oil companies who want to keep their billions in subsidies while ripping Americans off at the pump, and the Chamber of Commerce who represents big business to the mix, it makes you realize that today's Congressional Republicans are bought for by these people/groups to represent them not the American people.

Republicans may have the money falling out of their pockets from big donors but in 2014, Democrat candidates are going to have the money to compete and an organizing campaign second to none that will be probably the largest volunteer effort ever seen. People who have never been involved in politics are witnessing the obstructionism/racism in the Republican Party as they obstruct anything Obama suggests. This is not going to go well for Republicans as these newcomers join the old timers to oust the GOP from leadership in the House and return the House to the People's House not the GOP House of big donors and lobbyists.

One group that Republican leaders are failing to recognize are the same Republicans who voted for Obama many of us who joined Republicans for Obama to defeat Romney. Those ranks have swelled in recent weeks from many military/veterans and their families who were Republican until they saw the way Senate GOP treated Chuck Hagel for SecDef. There is NO way they support any Republican in 2014. Republicans have claimed the mantle for years as the party of national security who support our military. Their actions say otherwise as they refused to pass a jobs bill for veterans in the GOP House, put our national security at risk with the filibuster of Chuck for Sec Def to settle grudges, and now want to cut national security along with veterans benefits with Sequestration.

Today's Republicans are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites spouting rhetoric thinking the American people are going to get on board with their obstruction because we all hate Obama. Note to Republicans - look at Obama's approval ratings and figure out there are a lot of Republicans who support this President. Republicans refuse to acknowledge they lost the election and still think they call all the shots. Big mistake. If center right and centrist Republicans are thoroughly disgusted with today's hard right Republicans, why do they think that anyone except the hard right would support them?